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I work for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), Marine Communications & Traffic Services (MCTS), Central and Arctic Region Branch. Wow! Quite a mouthful. My official job title is a Marine Communications and Traffic Services Officer; the original title was Coast Guard Radio Operator. I started working in the old Aeradio (now FSS) system in 1976. In those days we were trained for combined air/marine operations. In 1985, I jumped ship to the Coast Guard when the air and marine divisions were separated.

At the national level, the CCG works with the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS), who produce charts, maps, and other marine publications; the United States Coast Guard (USCG), with whom Canada shares coast guard resources in overlapping boundary waters along our shared border. At the international level, maritime nations are part of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), and the International Maritime Organization (IMO), who oversee the international maritime and regulations.

The sinking of the RMS Titanic, and the needless lost of life in 1912, resulted in many of the procedures that we use today. These include: a continuous 24-hour radio watch; the establishment of distress silence periods; the formation of the International Ice Patrol (IIP); the requirement for minimum safety equipment on ships, and the standardization of distress signals used both visually and via radio.

We guard the international distress frequencies rendering assistance to anyone regardless of nationality; broadcast notices to shipping/mariners (NOTSHIPS/NOTMARS); send marine casualty reports (CASREPS) to the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) and other concerned agencies; obtain and broadcast weather received from Atmospheric Environment Canada (AES); provide vessel traffic (VTS) and sailplan processing services, to mention just a few free services! MCTS centres work closely with local search and rescue (SAR) agencies, fire departments, medical and health agencies, and local, provincial and national police services.  Pleasure craft operators can volunteer their services by joining the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CCGA).  The job for co-ordinating, and paying the bill for SAR in Canada is under the

AES Canada

Canadian Coast Guard

CCG Auxiliary

CCGC College

DFO

DND

Global Positioning

GMDSS

DSC

Hydrographic Service

Ice Patrol

IMO

INNAV

ITU

MARS Database

MCTS Central Region

MCTS Centres

CG Pubs (Canada)

CG Pubs (US)

TSB Safety Board

Small Boating Safety

Seaway AIS Project

Seaway VTS Info

Seaway Marine Info

My AIS Page

In the 1970's, we used manual typewriters for logkeeping, sent messages on ASCII and BAUDOT paper tapes, and had tube transceivers. Many routine tasks were time consuming as we had to process much of the data by hand. Today, we use computers for everything, send fax and email electronically, perform statistical data analysis electronically, and the transceivers are solid-state. Now, routine tasks require very little operator input, and free us to provide our primary job, with fewer staff.  In the early 1990's, Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) and the CCG merged under the DFO, and we started cross-training for each job at the Canadian Coast Guard College (CCGC) in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Thunder Bay MCTS (VBA) provides a safety and communications service for mariners in Lakes Winnipeg, Superior, northern Huron and Georgian Bay. In just 30 years, the number of CGR/VTS stations has been reduced to 22 centres for all of Canada, and the total staff (radio officers, technicians, support staff, etc.) reduced by nearly half. Thunder Bay, alone, incorporates 5 former CGR stations!

Yet, with all the modernization and computerization, the basic job requirements have remained the same. Grade 12 (or equivalent) education, proficiency in either official language (English and/or French), be of sound mind and character, have common sense and good judgement, with the ability to type (called keyboarding now-a-days) at least 30 wpm (most of us cruise at 60). The radio theory, technical, weather observing and Morse code requirements of the job disappeared with the last century. The pay and benefits of the job are quite good, despite all the ups and downs that go along with it.

The marine system called INNAV (Information System on Marine Navigation) is becoming standard at MCTS centres across Canada. This tool will merge several separately operating systems and programs now in use in Canada and around the world. In addition, the new AIS (Automated Information System), LRIT (Long Range Identification & Tracking) and DSC (Digital Selective Calling) systems are changing the face of the marine industry in the 21st century.  Information is displayed on a graphical information (GIS) computer system. Waterway maps and shipping routes can be overlaid and real-time ship targets tracked throughout the system. Canada is leading the way in training and combining vessel traffic radar systems and traditional logging and data collection methods.

Int'l Ship Tracking

The Maritime Mobile Access and Retrieval Systems (MARS), is a database retrieval system, developed by the ITU. This system allows the maritime community to consult the current contents of the master ITU ship station database which contains ship information that are specified by the Radio Regulations and provided in Part III of 'List of Ship Stations.'